Hand tool for crimping, cutting and stripping

ABSTRACT

A hand tool for performing a variety of functions, such as terminal crimping, wire cutting, insulation stripping, etc., with regard to electrical connection terminal assemblies and the like. The tool comprises a pair of pivotal jaw members with circular crimping means in its nose portion and a guide means adjacent the ferrule crimping means. The tool also is provided with bolt and screw cutting means, including screw threaded work-holding apparatus and arcuate shears adapted to cut through the bolts or screws while they are held in the threaded holes. In addition, the tool is provided with a cam-like terminal lug crimping means for ignition cable and with a wire cut-off means whereby the cutoff blade has angular ends to provide space for squeezed out insulation that prevents cutting of conductor and insulation. The tool also has wire stripping apertures, and these, similarly to the bolt and screw work-holding apertures, are arranged so that the larger apertures are closer to the pivot point of the tool, whereby a greater mechanical advantage is utilized for the heavier work pieces.

United States Patent 1191 Ingram HAND TOOL FOR CRIMPING, CUTTING AND STRIPPING [76] Inventor: Maxwell Ingram, 15 Hamilton Ave.,

Dumont, NJ.

22 Filed: Aug. 24, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 174,437

Primary ExaminerHarold D. Whitehead Assistant ExaminerRoscoe V. Parker Att0mey-Arthur A. Jacobs Dec. 11, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT A hand tool for performing a variety of functions, such as terminal crimping, wire cutting, insulation stripping, etc., with regard to electrical connection terminal assemblies and the like. The tool comprises a pair of pivotal jaw members with circular crimping means in its nose portion and a guide means adjacent the ferrule crimping means. The tool also is provided with bolt and screw cutting means, including screw threaded work-holding apparatus and arcuate shears adapted to cut through the bolts or screws while they are held in the threaded holes. In addition, the tool is provided with a cam-like terminal lug crimping means for ignition cable and with a wire cut-off means whereby the cut-off blade has angular ends to provide space for squeezed out insulation that prevents cutting of conductor and insulation. The tool also has wire stripping apertures, and these, similarly to the bolt and screw work-holding apertures, are arranged so that the larger apertures are closer to the pivot point of the tool, whereby a greater mechanical advantage is utilized for the heavier work pieces.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures ?ATENTEI] DEC 1 1 I975 INVENTOR MAXWELL INGRAM 6 40 8 W ATTORNEY HAND TOOL FOR CRIMPING, CUTTING AND STRIPPING This invention relates to a hand tool for performing a variety of functions with regard to terminal assemblies and the like, and it particularly relates to a tool for crimping terminal lugs, stripping and cutting wires, cutting bolts and screws, etc.

Hand tools for crimping, cutting, stripping, etc., have heretofore been known. However, these prior tools generally had one or more inherent defects. For example, they generally required an undue amount of physical force when used to strip or cut heavier .wires, and to cut screws or bolts, such as are used in cable connections. They, furthermore, either did not provide for accurate alignment of the solderless lug within the tool to provide crimping on the narrow section of the lug or other device being crimped, or used an alignment means which was subject to easy breakage or which was not adapted for all sizes of lugs or the like. As regards the cutting means for screws or bolts, these generally either utilized aslicing action which left undesirable burrs on the screw or bolt, or they utilized apertures or holes as the shearing means. These holes not only required accurate alignment with the workholding holes in which the screws or bolts had to be held during the shearing action,.but the holes rather 1 quickly became elongated or misshapen and there was no feasible way to dress them into proper shape again.

It is one object of the present invention to overcome the above and other defects of priortools .of this type by providing a hand tool which is adapted-to crimp, cut

or strip both lighter and heavier cables, wires, screws, bolts, and the like with very little'variation in force required.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an alignment means for the crimping portion of the tool which is simple in construction and effective for all types and sizes of lugs or the like which can be crimped by the tool.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tool of the aforesaid type wherein the screw or bolt shearing means avoids the formation of burrs and can be easily dressed into, proper shape if it should become distorted or misshapen during use.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as it becomes better understood by reference to the following The jaw 12 is provided with arcuate portions 24, 26 and 28 forming ferrule crimping die portions, and these co-act with similar but opposed die portions 30, 32 and 34 on the jaw 14. These die portions are used in the standard manner.

Adjacent the ferrule crimping dies, on the front face of the jaw 12 is positioned a lug positioning member 36. As best shown in FIG. 6, the lug positioning member 36 is in the form of a right-angle shaped plate with the vertical leg 38 spot-welded onto, in proper juxtoposition, or otherwise connected to the jaw face. The horizontal leg 40 forms a rest or platform for supporting and properly positioning the workpiece, here shown as a solderless lug 42, which is being crimped. An enclosed slot 44 extends lengthwise along the arcuate crimping jaws between the leg 38 and the supporting platform 40. The inside horizontal raised edge 46 of the slot 44 acts as a stop against which the cylindrical portion of the workpiece 42, namely, the solderless lug which has its cylindrical portion comprising an internal crimping barrel 48 and an external insulation sleeve 50, rests.

The guide 36 is always in position and requires no pivotal or otherrnovableadjustment to bring it into and out of operative position. Therefore, there is no danger of pivot-forming rivets or they like .becoming loose or breaking off. Furthermore, the guide 36 is in operative position to handle workpieces of 7 all sizes, whether being crimped between di es 24-30, 26 32 or 28-34.

The guide 36 acts to precisely position theworkpiece so that when the internal conductor; is gripped bythe crimped barrel 48, the latter is precisely centered within-the appropriate crimping jaws and there is no danger of missing the barrel, which may causeia faulty electrical connection and damage the'insulating sleeve 50. It avoids defective and loose crimpings which result in poor conductivity. It provides for placing the crimp in the'most effective area. It prevents the exposed metal of the lug from turning, bending, tilting or shifting out of line. It provides uniform crimping of all types and sizes of lugs. It eliminates guesswork in correctly locating the workpiece in position. It gives better visibility of the crimping action and relationship of the conductor within the lug relative to the exposed end of theconductor. It eliminates fumbling and need for a third handto hold the workpiece inposition during I crimping. It automatically aligns the crimping area on description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 7

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a tool embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wire cutting means.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views showing the progressive crimping action on ignition cable,"solderless connectors or the like.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 1 and showing a solderless lug properly positioned to be crimped. 7

Referring now in greater detail to the figures of the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, there is shown in FIG. I a tool, generally designated 10, comprising a nose portion that includes a pair ofjaw members 12 and 14. The jaw 12 is integral with a stem 16 and the jaw l4'is integral with a stem 18. A handle 20 is provided on.stem l6 and a handle 22 is provided on stem 18.

the lug with the crimping jaws even though the insulation hides the interior barrel. It properly aligns the seam in the barrel of the lug with the crimping jaws to firmly hold the seam against the conductor, thereby preventing subsequent inadvertent opening of the seam. It prevents the lug from rotating during the crimping. Finally, it does not interfere with different types of lugs, and can be used for both insulated and uninsulated lugs.

The jaws l2 and 14 are pivotally connected by a rivet or the like'indicated at 52. The jaw 12 has a set of internally threaded apertures, diagonal to the pivot 52. This set includes apertures 54, 56 and 58. The jaw 14 has another set of apertures diagonal to the pivot 52 and this second set includes apertures 60 and 62. It is to be noted that the apertures 54, 56 and 58 of one set are of progressively smaller diameters while the aperture 60 of the other set is larger than the aperture 62. Co-

- acting with these two sets of threaded apertures areshearing recesses respectively designated '64 and 66. The recess 64 is providedonthe outer face of jaw 12 in opposition to apertures 60 and 62, while the recess 66 is mounted on the outer face ofjaw 14 in opposition to apertures 54, 56 and 58.

When screws or bolts are to be cut, they are threadedly inserted into the proper threaded aperture, according to their diameter thread size numbers while the jaws are open. When the jaws are brought together, the recesses 64 and 66 pass, in a shearing action, to sever the exposed ends of the nuts or bolts. It is to be noted that the shearing edges are not sharpened like a knife and, therefore, do not slice through the workpieces, but, instead, act to displace in shear the section to be cut off from the held section. This displacement or shearing" action exerts a constant force that avoids formation of burrs,- whereas a slicing action tends to lift the knife up at the end of the slicing action, especially if the knife is somewhat dull; and this uplift forms a burr.

The fact that the larger apertures are closer to the pivot 52 is also important because the closer the workpiece is to the pivot point, the greater is the mechanical advantage. Since the thicker workpieces require greater force, the fact that they are positioned closer to the fulcrum results in less force being required than if they were farther away.

The arcuate shear 64 and 66, being on the outer faces of their respective jaws, are easily accessible, If these segments should become in any way distorted or misaligned, they can easily be dressed back into the proper shape. This, obviously, cannot be done with cutting apertures or holes such as have heretofore been used. Furthermore, it is not necessary to maintain such accurate alignment between the segments and the workholding apertures, as is necessary where alignment of corresponding holes are used.

Below the jaws l2 and 14, on the stems 16 and 18, are provided cooperating blade and anvil means for cutting wires or cables. This cutting means comprises a blade 68 on stem 18 and an anvil 70 on stem 16. It is to be noted that the blade 68 has outwardly extending angular upper and loweredges, as at 72 and 74. These angular edges are important because if a straight-edged blade is used, it first acts to squeeze the insulation around the wire outwardly. These squeezed together outer portions form barriers between the stems l6 and 18 against the further movement of the blade to cut through the conductor wire bacause, at the outside the cutting area of the blade has no cutting action. When the blade has angled edges as in the present invention, it provides space for the squeezed-out insulation while the forward movement of the blade pushes the insulation inwardly and confines it to the area of th greatest cutting action.

Below the wire cutting portion is a forming and a crimping die portion defined by an anvil edge 76 and a crimping edge 78. This portion is used for the crimping of the terminal lugs onto ignitioncables. The edge 76 is of the shape and size of the lug around the cable. This is best shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the cable being designated 80. The edge 78 has a predetermined camof this crimping action are illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and' Below the crimping die portion are arranged the different gauge size wire stripping holes 84, eachhole consisting of diametrically opposed semi-circular recesses in the respective stem portions 16 and 18. These wire stripping holes perform the standard function whereby the wire is placed in the correspondingly sized hole, the handles are closed and rocked back and forth to sever the insulation, and the tool is moved longitudinally along the conductor to strip off the severed portion of the insulation. However, these wire stripping holes differ from those heretofore generally used in that the larger holes are at the upper end, closer to the pivot 52 and the size of the holes progressively diminish as they are further removed from the pivot. This provides the greatest mechanical advantage where the larger holes are located and where the thicker wire with the heavier insulation is to be worked on.

The invention claimed is:

l. A tool comprising a pair of relatively flat jaw members pivotally connected to each other by a pivot means intermediate their ends, said jaw members being pivotally movable from an open position to a closed position, said jaw memb rs forming a nose portion at one end and being integral at their opposite ends with respective fiat stem portions, each stem portion having a handle portion at its free end, said jaw members having complementary recesses at their inner edges in the nose portion, said recesses forming ferrule crimping dies, each jaw member having a set of linearly arranged threaded apertures on the side of the pivot means opposite said ferrule crimping dies, the axes of said apertures being generally parallel to the axis of said pivot means, each set of apertures extending diagonally relative to said pivot means, the set of apertures in one jaw being on the opposite side of said pivot means from the set of apertures in the other jaw, each jaw having a shearing recess extending from the edge of the corresponding jaw toward said pivot means in corresponding position relative to the corresponding set of apertures in the other jaw, each shearing recess being defined by one straight edge and one shearing edge which is provided with at least one intermediate recess of a size and configurationpartially corresponding to a respective intermediate aperture in the corresponding set of apertures in the other jaw, said edges defining an open end of the shearing recess at the edge of the corresponding jaw, which open end constitutes the outer end of said shearing recess,,and also defining a closed inner end of said shearing recess, said inner end being adjacent said pivot means and being of configuration partially corresponding to the innermost aperture in the corresponding set of apertures in the other jaw, each shearing edge being movable, upon relative movement of said jaw members, to wipe over the corresponding set of apertures in the other jaw, wire cutting means on said tool, said wire cutting means comprising an anvil portion on the inner edge of one stern member and a blade portion on the inner edge of the other stem member, said anvil portion and blade portion being in opposed relationship, a terminal lug crimping means comprising opposed arcuate recesses on the inner edge of each stem portion, and a linear series of wire stripping holes, each hole being formed by complementary but opposed arcuate recesses on the inner edges of said stem portions.

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein a guide member is positioned on one face of one of said jaw members in the nose 'portion adjacent said ferrule crimping dies, said guide member having a stationary leg portion connectedto said one face and a transverse platform portion rigidly connected to and extending laterally from said one face adjacent said ferrule crimping dies, an enclosed slot between the stationary leg portion and the transverse platform portion, one edge of said slot defining a stop for a workpiece while said workpeice is held in one of the ferrule crimping dies and is supported on said platform.

3. The tool of claim 1 wherein the threaded apertures in each of said sets are progressively smaller in diameter as they are further distant from said pivot means.

4. The tool of claim 1 wherein the blade portion of said wire cutting means has outwardly-extending anguterminal lug into circular envelopement of said wire.

6. The tool of claim 1 wherein said wire stripping holes are of progressively smaller diameter as they are positioned further away from said pivot means. 

1. A tool comprising a pair of relatively flat jaw members pivotally connected to each other by a pivot means intermediate their ends, said jaw members being pivotally movable from an open position to a closed position, said jaw members forming a nose portion at one end and being integral at their opposite ends with respective flat stem portions, each stem portion having a handle portion at its free end, said jaw members having complementary recesses at their inner edges in the nose portion, said recesses forming ferrule crimping dies, each jaw member having a set of linearly arranged threaded apertures on the side of the pivot means opposite said ferrule crimping dies, the axes of said apertures being generally parallel to the axis of said pivot means, each set of apertures extending diagonally relative to said pivot means, the set of apertures in one jaw being on the opposite side of said pivot means from the set of apertures in the other jaw, each jaw having a shearing recess extending from the edge of the corresponding jaw toward said pivot means in corresponding position relative to the corresponding set of apertures in the other jaw, each shearing recess being defined by one straight edge and one shearing edge which is provided with at least one intermediate recess of a size and configuration partially corresponding to a respective intermediate aperture in the corresponding set of apertures in the other jaw, said edges defining an open end of the shearing recess at the edge of the corresponding jaw, which open end constitutes the outer end of said shearing recess, and also defining a closed inner end of said shearing recess, said inner end being adjacent said pivot means and being of configuration partially corresponding to the innermost aperture in the corresponding set of apertures in the other jaw, each shearing edge being movable, upon relative movement of said jaw members, to wipe over the corresponding set of apertures in the other jaw, wire cutting means on said tool, said wire cutting means comprising an anvil portion on the inner edge of one stem member and a blade portion on the inner edge of the other stem member, said anvil portion and blade portion being in opposed relationship, a terminal lug crimping means comprising opposed arcuate recesses on the inner edge of each stem portion, and a linear series of wire stripping holes, each hole being formed by complementary but opposed arcuate recesses on the inner edges of said stem portions.
 2. The tool of claim 1 wherein a guide member is positioned on one face of one of said jaw members in the nose portion adjacent said ferrule crimping dies, said guide member having a stationary leg portion connected to said one face and a transverse platform portion rigidly connected to and extending laterally from said one face adjacent said ferrule crimping dies, an enclosed slot between the stationary leg portion and the transverse platform portion, one edge of said slot defining a stop for a workpiece while said workpeice is held in one of the ferrule crimping dies and is supported on said platform.
 3. The tool of claim 1 wherein the threaded apertures in each of said sets are progressively smaller in diameter as they are further distant from said pivot mEans.
 4. The tool of claim 1 wherein the blade portion of said wire cutting means has outwardly-extending angular end portions.
 5. The tool of claim 1 wherein one of the arcuate recesses of the terminal lug crimping means is of a shape conforming to the peripheral shape of a wire and other arcuate recess has a predetermined cam shape constructed and arranged to bend the open portion of a terminal lug into circular envelopement of said wire.
 6. The tool of claim 1 wherein said wire stripping holes are of progressively smaller diameter as they are positioned further away from said pivot means. 